Method and filling system for filling containers

Abstract

A method for filling containers simultaneously with the filling-material sealing the containers against filling heads at the filling positions, and using a filling-material volumetric-flow-rate controller common to all of the filling positions to control flow of filling-material as a function of a target filling-curve by executing a filling phase with intervals that have different flow rates and controlling transition times between these intervals to ensure that each container finishes the filling phase with the correct amount of filling-material.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for filling containers with liquid filling-material, said method comprising filling containers simultaneously with said filling-material, wherein filling containers simultaneously comprises placing said containers at corresponding filling positions, sealing said containers against filling heads at said filling positions, and, using a filling-material volumetric-flow-rate controller that is common to all of said filling positions, controlling flow of filling-material as a function of a target filling-curve, wherein controlling flow using said filling-material volumetric flow-rate controller comprises at a first transition time, beginning a filling phase by causing filling-material to flow at a first flow-rate, thereby beginning a first interval of said filling phase, at a second transition time, increasing said first flow-rate to a second flow-rate, thereby ending said first interval and beginning a second interval of said filling phase, at a third transition time, reducing said second flow-rate to a third flow-rate, thereby ending said second interval and beginning a third and final interval of said filling phase, and at a fourth transition time, ending said filling phase, said method further comprising, during said filling phase, measuring actual filling-curves associated with each of said containers, and, based at least in part on said measured actual filling-curves, causing a control computer to implement a correction to cause equal volumes of filling-material to be in each container upon completion of said filling phase, wherein, as a result of an inability to maintain a perfectly constant filling-material volume flow for each container, said containers do not fill at the same rate, wherein, as a result, among said containers, there exists a last container that fills at a rate that is less than the rate at which all others of said containers fill, wherein said method further comprises causing a transition between said first interval and said second interval only when a minimum filling quantity required at the beginning of said second interval has been introduced into said last container. 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein causing a control computer to implement a correction comprises causing a temporal displacement of at least one of said second transition time and said third transition time. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein causing a control computer to implement a correction comprises causing a temporal displacement of said fourth transition time. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising causing said control computer to measure said actual filling-curves in parallel. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising comparing said actual filling-curves with said target filling-curve, detecting a deviation between at least one actual filling-curve and said target filling-curve, and, in response, causing a change in at least one of said transition times. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, during said second interval, there exists a first container that fills at a rate that is faster than that at which all other containers fill, wherein said method further comprises switching from said second interval to said third interval only when a filling-material quantity required at the end of said second interval has been filled into said first container. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising pre-tensioning said containers with tensioning gas, conducting away return gas via a return gas line common to all of said filling positions, and maintaining a constant return gas pressure using a return gas regulator. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said filling-material to be a carbonated filling-material, and maintaining a pressure to be above a CO2 balance pressure of said filling-material, wherein said pressure is a return gas pressure. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said filling-material to be a carbonated filling-material having a CO2 balance pressure, and maintaining a first pressure to be 1.5 bar above said CO2 balance pressure, wherein said first pressure is a tension gas pressure. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said target filling-curve to be specific to said container. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting said target filling-curve to be specific to said filling-material. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus for simultaneously filling containers with liquid filling-material, said apparatus comprising a control computer, a controller, branched product lines, and filling positions, wherein each filling position comprises a filling head, a tension valve, a liquid valve, a return-gas valve, and an independent magnetic-induction flow meter in a product line leading to said filling head, wherein said controller comprises a filling-material volumetric flow-rate controller, wherein said controller controls filling-material volume flow to said filling positions as a function of a target filling-curve that is stored on said control computer, wherein said control computer actuates said controller according to said target filling-curve, wherein said target filling-curve defines a filling phase that consists of a first interval with a first flow-rate, a second interval following said first interval, said second interval having a second flow-rate, and a third interval having a third flow-rate, said third interval following said second interval, wherein said second flow-rate is greater than either said first or third flow-rate, and wherein said branched product lines connect said filling heads to said controller. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein each filling head further comprises a filling pipe configured to be extended into a container to be filled, said filling pipe being configured to switch between being connected to a source of tension gas and being connected to a source of said filling material. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising a common tension gas line, a common return gas line, a return gas regulator, and a pressure sensor, wherein said tension valves of said filling heads all connect to said common tension gas line, wherein said return gas valves of said filling heads all connect to said common return gas line, wherein said return gas regulator and said pressure sensor are provided in said common return gas line, and wherein said return gas regulator is configured to maintain constant return gas pressure in said return gas line based at least in part on a pressure signal provided by said pressure sensor. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said controller, said branched product lines, and said filling positions define a preassembled component unit to be mounted as a unit on a machine frame of a filling machine. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said branched product lines comprise a first product line and a first branching structure at which said first product line divides into a pair of first branches. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein each of said first branches continues to a second branching-structure, wherein, at each of said second branching-structures, each of said first branches then divides into a pair of second branches. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein each of said second branches proceeds to a corresponding filling head. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , wherein during each phase of the filling process, said containers will not all be filling at the same flow rate.